Parasite Detected

optikl hath wroth:

[alt.comp.security deleted as Newsguy claims its bogus]

A bit more on the subject:

According to Winnebago County State's Attorney Paul Logli, unauthorized access of a WAP is illegal in Illinois, even if the network is unprotected.

Reading between the lines, this seems to imply that the targeted system was NOT encrypted or protected. So much for unsecured access points being presumed to be available to the general public.

Still more:

Wartowski said a Loves Park police officer was on patrol in the wee hours of the morning when he saw Kauchak sitting in a car with a computer. He slowed down, took a look and saw he had a laptop in his lap. He talked to him and put it all together, Wartowski said.

So much for me using a mapping program to get driving directions with a laptop at night. To the casual observer, I'm obviously hacking. Sigh.

Jeff Liebermann wrote: So much for unsecured access

Well, a case could be made for that presumption. Sort of like the case I've seen make by some VXers, that unprotected computers on the internet are presumed to be test boxes for their latest malware programs. Not sure I'm in the buying mode for either one.

Now that is a very legitimate concern and one I didn't pick up from the initial article. You have to wonder how that might play out in a court case, as regards probable cause. So, I guess there is both good news and bad news in that story, Jeff.